


Original Sin

by incandescentshadows



Series: Writing Warm-Ups [1]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 09:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19461067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incandescentshadows/pseuds/incandescentshadows
Summary: Eve was not the first to partake of the forbidden fruit.





	Original Sin

Eve was not the first to partake of the forbidden fruit. 

To be fair, God had not been very explicit in who could partake. She had tasked Aziraphale with guarding the gates of Eden, protecting the innocent creatures within, and that included caring for all the plants that kept them alive. 

She'd only said the humans were not to eat the fruit and that they needed guarding and that was that.

So, when the tree that bore forbidden fruit began to grow, to flower, to overtake the rest of the garden much the same as knowledge often did there was little else the angel could do to get rid of it. Letting the fruit drop to the ground would have resulted in some poor creature getting a nibble on accident. Tossing the fruit over the wall was out of the question for many reasons, least of which was that it might begin to produce more of its variety if left unattended. Vanishing the stuff with a miracle also seemed wrong. He was meant to protect it, not destroy it. 

So, with his God-given purpose steadfast in his mind, Aziraphale took his first bite.  
There was, on the surface, no change at all. Knowledge had a sneaky way of working, though — much like a demon or a God. Mysterious ways and all that. 

So Aziraphale continued to eat until he was gorged on the fruit of knowledge and all the creatures of the garden were safe.

All but one, that is.

The thing about knowledge was that it didn't do much good unless it was paired with common sense, experience, application. Hence, much later on, a very pregnant Eve being cast from the garden and Adam with her. 

Before that, before the handing over of a flaming sword and the first murder and the great flood, there was a snake outside the garden wall. 

Aziraphale had been keeping watch, on the gate and on the tree and on all the creatures of Eden. He had done a good job, if he did say so himself, and he knew that God would be so pleased. There was a crack in the wall around Eden though. Whether a natural fissure, an attack from below, or some pre-determined piece of her ineffable plan no human would ever know. Regardless, when the angel, filled to the bursting with forbidden fruit, found a snake just outside the broken wall he knew only that he'd almost failed. He was meant to safeguard all of God's creatures, and this one had almost escaped.  
Aziraphale brought the creature back inside, wrapped up in his arms as he cooed and soothed the frightened thing. Its tongue flicked out, smelling everything it could, and happened to brush against the angel's sticky fingers.

It was hardly anything, just a taste, but it was enough. 

Aziraphale released the demon into the garden, and despite all the knowledge he was filled with, he had no idea of the series of events he had triggered or the change he's initiated in one particular demon.


End file.
